روح همسایه فصل 08

The Ghost Next Door - Chapter 8

“Hannah! Hannah!”

Its whisper became a shout.

“Hannah!”

Her side throbbed with pain. She struggled to catch her breath.

“What do you want?” she managed to cry. “Leave me alone! Please!”

“Hannah! It’s me!”

She raised her head to see Danny standing above her. He straddled his bike, gripping the handlebars, staring down at her, his features tight with concern. “Hannah—are you okay?” “The shadow—!” she cried, feeling dazed.

Danny lowered his bike to the grass and hurried over. He lifted her bike off her and set it down beside his. Then he reached for her hands. “Are you okay? Can you get up? I saw you fall. Did you hit a rock or something?” “No.” She shook her head, trying to clear it. “The shadow—he reached for me and—” Danny’s expression changed to bewilderment. “Huh? Who reached for you?” His eyes searched all around, then returned to her.

“He knew my name,” Hannah said breathlessly. “He kept calling me. He followed me.” Danny studied her, frowning. “Did you hit your head? Do you feel dizzy, Hannah? Maybe I should go get some help.” “No… I… uh…” She gazed up at him. “Didn’t you see him? He was dressed in black. He had these glowing red eyes—” Danny shook his head, his eyes still studying her warily. “I only saw you,” he said softly. “You were riding really fast. Over the grass. I saw you fall.” “You didn’t see someone wearing black? A man? Chasing me?”

Danny shook his head. “There was no one else on the street, Hannah. Just me.” “Maybe I did bump my head,” Hannah muttered, raising her hands to her short hair.

Danny reached out a hand. “Can you stand? Are you hurt?”

“I—I guess I can stand.” She allowed him to pull her to her feet.

Her heart was still pounding. Her entire body felt shaky. Narrowing her eyes, she searched the front yards, her eyes lingering in the wide circles of shade from the neighborhood’s old trees.

No one in sight.

“You really didn’t see anyone?” she asked in a tiny voice.

He shook his head. “Just you. I was watching from over there.” He pointed to the curb.

“But I thought…” Her voice trailed off. She could feel her face grow red.

This is embarrassing, she thought. He’s going to think I’m a total nut case.

And then she thought, maybe I am!

“You were going so fast,” he said, picking up her bike for her. “And there are so many shadows, from all the trees. And you were frightened. So maybe you imagined a guy dressed in black.” “Maybe,” Hannah replied weakly.

But she didn’t think so….

High white clouds drifted over the sun the next afternoon as Hannah jogged down the driveway to the mailbox. Somewhere down the block, a dog barked.

She pulled down the lid and eagerly reached inside.

Her hand slid over bare metal.

No mail. Nothing.

Sighing with disappointment, she slammed the mailbox lid shut. Janey had promised to write every day. She had been gone for weeks, and Hannah still hadn’t received even a postcard.

None of her friends had written to her.

As she trudged back up the driveway, Hannah glanced at Danny’s house. The white clouds were reflected in the glass of the big living room window.

Hannah wondered if Danny was home. She hadn’t seen him since yesterday morning after falling off her bike.

My spying isn’t going too well, she sighed.

Taking another glance at Danny’s front window, Hannah headed back up the drive to the house.

I’ll write to Janey again, she decided. I have to tell her about Danny and the frightening shadow figure and the weird things that have been happening.

She could hear the twins in the den, arguing loudly about which cartoon tape they wanted to see. Her mother was suggesting they go outside instead.

Hannah hurried to her room to get paper and a pen. The room felt hot and stuffy. She had tossed a pile of dirty clothes onto her desk. She decided to write her letter outside.

A short while later, she settled under the wide maple tree in the center of the front yard. A blanket of high clouds had rolled over the sky. The sun was trying to poke out from the white glare. The old, leafy tree protected her in comforting shade.

Hannah yawned. She hadn’t slept well the night before. Maybe I’ll take a nap later, she thought. But first, I have to write this letter.

Leaning back against the solid trunk, she began to write.

Dear Janey,

How are you? I seriously hope you’ve fallen in the lake and drowned. That would be the only good excuse for not writing to me in all this time!

How could you ABANDON me here like this? Next summer, one way or the other, I’m going to camp with you.

Things are definitely WEIRD around here. Do you remember I told you about that boy who moved in next door? His name is Danny Anderson, and he’s kind of cute. He has red hair and freckles and SERIOUS brown eyes.

Well, don’t laugh, Janey—but I think Danny is a GHOST!

I can hear you laughing. But I don’t care. By the time you get back to Greenwood Falls, I’m going to have PROOF.

Please—don’t tell the other girls in your bunk that your best friend has totally freaked until you read the rest of this. Here is my evidence so far: 1. Danny and his family suddenly appeared in the house next door. I didn’t see them move in, even though I’ve been home every day. Neither did my parents.

1. Danny says he goes to Maple Avenue, and he says he’s going into eighth grade just like us.

But how come we’ve never seen him? He hangs out with two guys I’ve never seen before. And he didn’t know any of my friends.

1. Sometimes he vanishes—POOF—just like that. Don’t laugh! And once he fell off the roof and landed on his feet—without making a SOUND! I’m SERIOUS, Janey.

2. Yesterday, I was being chased by a scary shadow, and I fell off my bike. And when I looked up, the shadow was gone, and Danny was standing in his place. And— Uh-oh. This is starting to sound really crazy. I wish you were here so I could explain it better. It all sounds so DUMB in a letter. Like I’m really MESSED UP or something.

I know you’re laughing at me. Well, go ahead.

Maybe I won’t mail this letter. I mean, I don’t want you to make jokes, or remind me of it for the rest of my life.

So, enough about me.

How’s it going out there in the woods? I hope you were bitten by a snake and your entire body swelled up, and that’s why I haven’t heard from you.

Otherwise, I’m going to KILL you when you get back! Really!

WRITE!

Love,Hannah.

Yawning loudly, Hannah dropped her pen to the ground. She leaned back against the tree trunk and slowly read over the letter.

Is it too crazy to send? she wondered.

No. I have to send it. I have to tell somebody what’s going on here. It’s all too weird to keep to myself.

The sun had finally managed to burst through the clouds. The tree leaves above her head cast shifting shadows across the letter in her lap.

She glanced up into bright sunlight—and gasped, startled to see a face staring back at her.

“Danny—!”

“Hi, Hannah,” he said quietly.

Hannah squinted up at him. His entire body was ringed by bright sunlight. He seemed to be shimmering in the light.

“I—I didn’t see you,” Hannah stammered. “I didn’t know you were here. I—” “Give me the letter, Hannah,” Danny said softly but insistently. He reached out a hand for it.

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Give me the letter,” Danny demanded, more firmly. “Give it to me now, Hannah.” She gripped the letter tightly and stared up at him. She had to shield her eyes. The bright sun seemed to shine right through him.

He hovered above her, his hand outstretched. “The letter. Hand it to me,” he insisted.

“But—why?” Hannah asked in a tiny voice.

“I can’t let you mail it,” Danny told her.

“Why, Danny? It’s my letter. Why can’t I mail it to my friend?”

“Because you found out the truth about me,” he said. “And there’s no way I’ll let you tell anyone.”